Lincoln National Forest Scenic Highway Road Trip

Stroll along Cloudcroft's historic Burro Avenue, then take a short driving detour to the dizzying viewpoint of an old railroad trestle spanning Mexican Canyon. Halfway between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo is southern New Mexico's only highway tunnel; just west of it, a parking area offers a spectacular vista of the Tularosa Basin and White Sands National Monument.

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34.6 miles: 0 hours, 45 minutes

You'll see a bit of everything along this scenic byway, from arid landscapes to thick forests of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine that blanket the Sacramento Mountains. A must-stop is the resort town of Cloudcroft. Besides summer hiking, fall foliage viewing and winter skiing, it offers—at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet—cool relief from the desert heat far below.